Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1887-06-23

this was lattcrly added there. tha,
other wild, fallacious dcetiinc called
States rights.
For generations, these two false
doctrines had been inculcatcd
throughout the South. not only i'm
and by their associations. but were
taught in the school. preached from
the pulpit, and the people there be-
licvcd in them.
Such had been the sourroundinrs.
trainings, associations and education
OF the people Of the two sections
and i bat mention these familiar
facts OF history, here and now. Co
direct your thought tn tho difference
in the standpoint from which caeh
viewed the question which resulted
in war; the wide difference In the
powerful influences of the atmos.
pherc oi the two; and for the purpose
OF emphasizing the expression of
my belief that..thc great mass of the
people of the South, aud the rank
and file of the Confederate army.
believed in the cause Of the South
in the same good faith that we be.
licvcd in the cause Of the Union.
DO not misundcrsland me.
While / so believe concerning
this class OF Southern people. vet /
further believe, as do all my com.
radcs, that they were wrong i'm
principle, wrong in theory, wrong
IN practice, and that they cannot be
justified in so permitting themselves
to bc led into making war upon the
old flag.
But the great wrong lay far he.
hind the masses of the Southern
people, far behind the rank and file
OF the confederate army
First, in that system OF education
which led them 10 believe In those
twin monsters, the divine right OF
slavery and States rights and
Second, in the false teachings and
selfish ambition of the leaders of
Southern thought and action.
| To these two causes should he
attributed the course pursued by the
class have named, and upon the
leaders OF the South must forever
be charged, and upon them must
forever rest, all the responsibility
for the curse and crime of rebellion.
We are standing here to. day
within one Of the old slave states
To me II seems fitting that we
should remember those who, al.
though reared among the slaves and
under the influences Of the South
were not controlled by their
environments; who when the aucs
tion was, "Shall follow my State
into rebellion, or remain with my
country" answered by holding high
the glorious stars and stripes. the
loyal men Of the South.
You, who ia the sweet air of
infancy breathed freedom; who
where educated in the correct belief
that slavery was a crime against
humanity; whose associates through
life were liberty loving men and
women; TO whom loyalty TO country
and flag came as naturally as the
breath Of life, remember q. day that
Kentucky gave TO the Union army
those gallant soldiers, Generals
Charles i. Smith and Lowell III.
ROsseau, that Virginia furnished the
hero Of Chickamauga in the person
Of Gen. George II. Thomas, and
that Missouri, rs one Of her many
offerings at the shrine of human
freedom, gave the brainy, cOurage.
Gus, peerless Frank L. Blair,
The memory ofthe loyal Of South.
land IS precious TO me, for / was
born and raised in the Old Dominion
and my own family was divided
upon the questions which resulted
in the separation of both State
and household; yet MY pride in
State and family, my tender love FOR
an elder brother whose heart turned
| SOuihward, wers cast aside, and /
followed the old flag.
Thousands Of men, although
Southern IN oil else, as was, under
similar circumstances, did the same
thing.
To us that course meant more
than can easily be understood or ap-
Preciated BY you, my Northern
comrades
We believed, as you did. that the
South was wrong, that our allcgi.
ance was due. not 20 our State. but
20 our country; that the triumphant
bugle blast Of the Confederate
cavalry would sound tie death
knellOfrcpublioan gOvernmentupon
tdis continent, and that the triumph.
art iiag oi the Confedcracy " ould
ere tlas have become thc shroud og
American liberty.
The blood of the loyal men ofthc
south enriched the soil % every
battlefield, their bones rest today
in every National cemetery.
Honor 20 their memory. peace 60
their ashes
TO forgive the Confederate soldier
at Tbs day, the errors into which
bis environments Ted him does not
necessarily imply upon our part
forgctfulaess Of the past.
We commemorate the services
and pny homage 90 thc memory 0f
our dead, because they were riebt
and because we love our own. but
le. us not forget that IN that mighty
contest we nlct and defeated foemer